1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a system and a method for power seat motor control.
2. Background
Many vehicles have seats that are adjustable by an occupant. At a minimum, the occupant is usually able to raise and lower the height of the seat relative to the vehicle floor as well as traverse the seat forward and backward relative to the front of the vehicle.
One or more motors are often used as part of the seat adjustment mechanism so that the motion can be performed with minimal effort on the part of the occupant. Conventional seat adjustment mechanisms implement on/off motor control circuitry. As such, the motors are not ramped up to speed or brought to a stop in a controlled manner. The lack of a controlled start and stop can result in undue wear on the seat hardware as well as the occupant experiencing a jerking sensation during seat motion starting and stopping.
In addition, conventional seat adjustment mechanisms do not regulate the speed of the motors while the seat is in motion. As such, the seat speed during motion does not remain constant but, in fact, can fluctuate depending upon such factors as the weight of the occupant, ambient temperature, seat track friction, and the like. The inability to maintain a constant seat speed can result in the occupant experiencing jerky motion, and excessive noise. The seat hardware can also experience undue wear as a result of the fluctuation in seat speed during position adjustment.
While many mechanical designs have been proposed in an effort to address these problems, the problems remain unsolved. Thus, it would be desirable to have a method and system for controlling seat motors that would reduce or eliminate seat noise, jerky seat motion, and wear on the seat mechanisms.